Prague  - Two Czech teenagers were identified Tuesday among the victims of the powerful earthquake that struck central Italy, Czech officials said.

The dead were two 17-year-old students, a boy and a girl, from the eastern Bohemian town of Pardubice who were in Italy on a short-term study programme, the Czech Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Their remains were found in the rubble of the building where they were staying, the ministry said.

The death toll in Monday morning's earthquake climbed to 228 by Tuesday evening, while at least one person was killed by a strong aftershock that hit the area, local reports said. (dpa)